Tilth Producers of Washington

| John Reganold, Washington State University |
| Ray de Vries, Ralph’s Greenhouse |

Keynote

John Reganold joins Tilth Producers on November 14 as the 2015 Annual Conference keynote speaker to share his 30-plus years of innovative research and teaching on sustainable farming systems into the mainstream of higher education and food production.

Dr. John Reganold has shaped his career by his interest in agriculture and soil science, receiving his Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of California at Davis. He joined Washington State University in 1983 and is currently Regents Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology. Dr. Reganold has 175 publications in scientific journals, magazines, and proceedings, including Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, and Scientific American. His research has measured the effects of alternative (organic, integrated, and conservation agriculture) and conventional farming systems on soil health, crop quality, financial performance, and environmental quality on four continents. His former students are on the front lines of sustainability around the world, bringing food security to sub-Saharan Africa for the U.S. Agency for International Development, adapting quinoa to the salty soils of Utah, working on agroecology for Pacific Foods in Tualatin, Oregon, and turning wastes into resources in Haiti. He was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2012.

Capnote

T-40_November 08- 2014_086 Tilth Producers 2014 Farmer of the Year, Ray de Vries of Ralph’s Greenhouse (shown here with wife and co-winner Becky de Vries), will give the conference capnote speech on November 15.
Ray never planned to be a farmer, yet now Ralph’s Greenhouse is a cornerstone of the Skagit Valley farming community. Taking over from his dad in 1988, Ray has expanded the farm into growing kale, chard, collards, beets, carrots, fennel, parsnips, spinach, fingerling potatoes, and of course, lots of leeks. As a multi-generational farm, Ray abides by the philosophy that it is important to take care of the land today so that it will continue to support organic farming for future generations.

Previous Keynote Speakers

Year | Keynote Speaker

2014 | Raj Patel Generation Food: Breaking Rules to Nourish the World

2013 | David Mas Masumoto & Nikiko Masumoto Nourishing the Future: Cultivating Our Farming Legacy

2012 | Allan Savory Small Farmers Leading the World through New Approaches to Agriculture

2011 | Miguel Altieri Agroecology: Designing a New Agriculture for a Changing Planet

2010 | Chuck Hassebrook The Next Wave of Change in Agriculture, the Food System & Rural America

2009 | Dr. E. Ann Clark Organic and Sustainable: The Common Ground

2008 | Dr. Paul Hepperly No Till, Organic and Traditional Agriculture: They Can All Work Together

2007 | Lynn Miller Cultivating the Family Farm

2006 | Helena Norberg-Hodge Creating a Regional Food System

2005 | Fred Provenza The Role of New Science in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture

2004 | Vandana Shiva Agriculture for Life: Beyond the Suicidal Economy of Industrial Farming & Globalized Agriculture

2003 | Paul Stamets Mushrooms as Allies: Potentiating Planetary Host Defenses Through Fungi

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